Hinge



Aug. 21, 1962 D. c. MCDONALD HINGE Filed Feb. 25, 1960 F IG.

FIG. 3

2 4.147174: 5 5 an 1M F l G. 4

F I G 6 INVENTOR. DAVID c. McDONALD Ill/7!! I ATTORNEY United States free David C. McDonald, 1385 Alhambra Circle, Coral Gables, Fla. Filed Feb. 25, 1950, Ser. No. 11,051 2 Claims. (Cl. 16-135) The present invention relates to hinges, and more particularly, to an improved door hinge which can be very readily installed and is reliable in operation.

Heretofore conventional door hinges of the butt type have been used for the mounting of a door in a doorway. In order to install such door hinges of the butt type, both the stile of the door and the jamb of the doorway must be mortised to receive the hinge section of each door hinge which is used to permit the pivotable movement of the door with respect to the doorway. On the ordinary double hinged door this requires, of course, four mortises and, in addition the installation of four wood screws in the screw apertures in each of the four hinge sections. This mortising operation and the operation of installing the hinge sections in the mortises by screws are complicated and time consuming and at present day high labor costs result in expensive door installation.

It is the general object of the present invention to avoid and overcome the foregoing and other difficulties of and objections to prior art practices by the provision of an improved door hinge which eliminates the mortising of the door stile and the door jamb of the doorway and the use of screws for installing the hinge sections in the mortises.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of an improved door hinge which is simple in structure, is comparable in manufacturing costs to a conventional door hinge of the butt type and is readily installed without complicated tools or prior carpentry experience.

Still another object of the present invention is the provision of an improved door hinge which when installed prevents sagging of the door.

The aforesaid objects of the present invention, and other objects which will become apparent as the description proceeds, are achieved by providing a door hinge comprising a straight hinge section having a first fiat bearing surface and a first shank portion extending from this first flat bearing sufrace for insertion into and securement to the doorway, a right-angle hinge section having a second flat bearing surface and a second shank portion projecting at right angles from the second flat bearing surface and operable to be inserted into and secured to the door, and means for connecting the right-angle hinge section to the straight hinge section to permit the second flat bearing surface to ride oif and onto the first flat bearing surface as the door opens and closes.

For a better understanding of the present invention reference should be had to the accompanying drawings, wherein like numerals of reference indicate similar parts throughout the several views and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the improved door hinge of the present invention in the closed position;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1, but showing the improved door hinge of the present invention in the open position;

FIG. 3 is a horizontal-sectional View of one side of a doorway in which one hinge section of the improved door hinge of the present invention has been installed and a door in which the other hinge section has been installed, with the door being shown in the closed position;

"FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3, showing the door in the open position;

FIG. 5 is a top-elevational view of a door jamb, door stop and the door and illustrating the first step in the installation of the door hinge of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a View similar to FIG. 5 and illustrates the second step in the installation of the door hinge of the present invention.

It will be understood for purposes of simplicity and clarity (that although at least two hinges are commonly employed in hanging a door, which are usually of identical construction) the following description refers mainly to only one of the improved door-hinges of the present invention and the installation thereof. With specific reference to the form of the present invention illustrated in the drawings, and referring particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2, a substantially straight hinge section of the improved door hinge is indicated generally by the reference numeral 10 and as shown is made from round bar stock. This straight hinge section 10' has a half-round body portion 12 which is provided with a flat bearing surface 15 and terminates at the upper end, as viewed in FIGS. 1 and 2, in a hub portion 14, which hub portion 14 is provided with a pivot-pin hole. The other end of the half-round body portion 12 terminates in a shoulder 16 formed by the junction of the half-round body portion 12; with a round shank portion 18. This round shank portion 18 is provided with a plurality of, for example, two nail-receiving apertures 19 which extend transversely through the round shank portion 18 perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the straight hinge section 10.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a right-angle hinge section of the improved door hinge of the present invention is indicated generally by the reference numeral 20. This right-angle hinge section 20 has a half-round body portion 22 having a flat bearing surface 25 and provided at one end thereof with an upstanding hub portion 24 which contains a suitable pivot-pin hole. The other end of the half-round body portion 22 carries a round shank portion 28 which is disposed perpendicular to the halfround body portion 22. In order to complete the assembly of the improved door hinge of the present invention, the hinge sections 10 and 20 are assembled as shown in FIG. 1, with the pivot pin holes in the hub portions 14 and 24 in registry and a pivot pin or pintle 30 inserted thereinto.

Method of Installation As shown in FIG. 5, the first step in the installation of the above described door hinge comprises positioning the edge of a stile 32 of a door 34 (which stile 32 is to receive the right-angle hinge section 20) against a door jamb 36, with one side face 38 (FIG. 5) of the door 34 in registry with a side face 44 of the door jamb 36 and with a side face 42 of the stile 32 resting against a door stop 44. In preparation for the drilling operation, the door 34 is wedged in the doorway in the position shown in FIG. 5 by any suitable means.

Utilizing a conventional drill, which may be assumed to be inch, and conventional drill guide means, a hole 46' (FIG. 5) is then provided perpendicular to the side face of the door jamb 36 and side face 38 of the door 34 (along a centerline AA), so that one-half of the hole 46 is made in the door jamb 36 and the other half extends through he stile 32 of the door and into the door stop 44. This hole 46 desirably has a depth d which for purposes of illustration may be 2%", thus permitting the hole 46 to extend into the door stop 44 about Ma".

The door 34 is then removed from the doorway and disposed in a position similar to that shown in FIG. 6 to permit the drilling of a hole 48 having a depth d (along the center line BB) and extending into the stile 32 of such door 34. Such hole 48 (having an assumed diameter of Vs) is transverse or perpendicular to the 3 semi-circular hole in the stile 32 of the door 34. The depth d of such hole 48 may for illustrative purposes be about 2". To complete the drilling operation a hole 50 may be provided, if desired, in the door stop 44, which hole 50 will later register with the lower nail-receiving aperture 19, as viewed in FIG. 3.

The straight hinge section of the now disassembled door hinge is then driven through the semi-circular hole in the door jam-b 36 (FIG. 4) and into the round hole 46 formed between the door jamb 36 and door stop 44 and with the fiat bearing surface of the half-round hole 46 formed between the door jamb 36 and door stop 44 and with the flat bearing surface 15 of the halfround body portion 12 up and substantially parallel to the top face of the door jamb 36 and with the shoulder 16 projecting beyond the door stop 44. While the straight hinge section 10 is in this position, a nail 52 is hammered through the hole 50 and the now-registering lower nail-receiving aperture 19 and also through the other nail-receiving aperture 19 and into a stud 54 (which supports the door jamb 36) to secure the straight hinge section 10 in the position shown in FIG. 3.

The round shank portion 28 of the right-angle hinge section 20 is now driven into the hole 48 in the stile 32 so that the shoulder 26 is desirably flush with the edge of the stile 32 of such door 34 and so that the flat bearing surface on the underside of the half-round body portion 22 is down and substantially parallel to the top edge of the stile 32.

By repositioning the door 34 with respect to the door jamb 36 and door stop 44, as shown in FIG. 3, with the flat bearing surface 25 resting on the flat bearing surface 15 and with the pivot-pin holes in the hub portions 14 and 24 in registry, the pivot pin may be inserted into said pivot-pin holes. To complete the installation of the door 34 in the doorway one or more door hinges are similarly installed and thereafter the door 34 is manually pivotable from the closed position (shown in FIG. 3) to the open position (shown in FIG. 4), as the flat bearing surfaces 25 ride 01f the flat bearing surfaces 15.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the above-described construction of the improved door hinge of the present invention causes the flat bearing surface 25 on the half-round body portion 22 to bear fully on the flat bearing surface 15 of the half-round body portion 12, when the door 34 is closed.

Further, the upper quarter-round portion 56 (FIG. 6) of the half-hole provided in the stile 32 of the door 34 assists in preventing the round shank portion 28 of the door hinge from rotating and the door 34 from sagging when the door 34 is opened (FIG. 4). Likewise it is obvious that the quarter-round portion of the half-hole in the door jamb 36 aids in further supporting the straight hinge section 10 and the door supported thereby.

It will be recognized by those skilled in the art that the objects of the present invention have been achieved by the provision of an improved door hinge which eliminates the 'mortising of the door jamb of the doorway and the door stile and further eliminates the use of screws for installing the hinge sections in the mortises. Such improved door hinge is simple in structure, is readily installed without carpentry experience or complicated tools, and is comparable in cost to conventional door hinges of the butt type. Further, such door hinge is sturdy in construction, and when installed in the manner herein described will maintain the door against sagging.

While in accordance with the patent statutes a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been illustrated and described in detail, it is to be particularly understood that the invention is not limited thereto or thereby.

1 claim:

1. A door hinge for the pivotal mounting of a door in a door jamb comprising a straight hinge section formed of round bar stock and having a substantial part of its length cut away to form a hemispherical portion providing a flat longitudinal surface, means disposed transversely of the round portion of said section for securing the latter into a door jamb, a right-angle hinge section also formed of round bar stock and having one leg thereof cut away to form a hemispherical portion with a flat surface of substantially the same size and configuration as the flat longitudinal surface of said straight hinge section and the remaining round leg of said right angle hinge section being insertable into and securable to the door edge which abuts the jamb, and a pintle passing through the outer end of the hemispherical portion of each hinge section to pivotally connect them together and cause said hemispherical portions to overlie with their flat longitudinal surfaces engaging each other in the closed position of said door in the door jamb.

2. A door hinge for the pivotal mounting of a door in a door jamb comprising a straight hinge section formed of round bar stock and having a substantial part of its length cut away to form a hemispherical portion providing a fiat longitudinal surface, an opening extending transversely of the round portion of said section for securing the latter into a door jamb, a right angle hinge section also formed of round bar stock and having one leg thereof cut away to form a hemispherical portion with a flat surface of substantially the same size and configuration as the flat longitudinal surface of said straight hinge section and having an upstanding hub at its outer end, and the remaining round leg of said rightangle hinge section being insertable into vand secuirable to the door edge which abuts the jamb, and a pintle passing through said hub and the outer end of the hemispherical portion of each hinge section to pivotally connect them together and cause said hemispherical portions to overlie with their flat longitudinal surfaces in mating engagement with each other in the closed position of the door in the door jamb. 

